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Ryder Cup teams up with Cohesion for sound reinforcement

The 45th Ryder Cup was held in September 2025 at the Bethpage Black course on Long Island as the world’s most renowned golfers from the United States and Europe competed for one of the most venerable trophies in sports. In support of the event, the selected Cohesion PA provided the demanded coverage and intelligibility for the ceremonial stage at the 2025 Ryder Cup.

The PGA, who administers the biennial competition, entrusted production of the ceremonies and fan participation to Leo Events. “The PA is integral to the Ryder Cup for setting the mood from the moment the gates open at 6 a.m. to keeping the excitement going all day”, says Technical Director Jim Dorroh, who worked for years directly with Leo Events before freelancing. “You don’t get that at many other golf events, which are quiet and reserved. The PGA was clear about their desire for loud, fun, and exciting to get fans fired up. That meant we needed a PA like Cohesion.”

The PA, deployed by Clair Global, featured fourteen Cohesion CO12 left-right on the mains, which were hung from cantilevers “pretty far upstage, which is not typical”, as System Engineer Paul Cervenansky explains. “The nice thing about Cohesion is we choose our horizontal dispersion. I used mostly 80° and a few 120° where we needed extra coverage. The bottom two enclosures were 80° to keep the energy, and we used some near-field shading and other tools to overcome any challenges.”

A dozen additional CO12 were placed on the stage right side hang, but the stage left side hang needed to be relocated to account for a broadcast booth placed there. Instead, four CO12 were placed on each of two field carts. “We knew that broadcast booth wasn’t going to move, and they still needed that coverage”, says Dorroh. “That’s when Kelly (Epperson, FOH Engineer and General Audio Lead for Leo Events) and Paul put their heads together and changed to the carts on the ground.”

Due to rigging limitations, the subwoofers were ground-stacked only, with three Cohesion CP218 II+ in cardioid configuration on either side providing the low end. Six Cohesion CF14s were placed across the stage for front and lip fill, and four Cohesion CM14 stage monitors were used as foldback for anyone on stage to hear video and playback content.

The stage functioned as the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a DJ set that energized the tens of thousands of spectators each day. More than 500 feet separated the ceremonial stage, situated at the confluence of the first tee box and the eighteenth green, from the edges of the grandstands and the suites, and fans were dispersed in an area nearly 270° around. “This year, we were front and center, surrounded by both spectators and the tournament itself”, adds Dorroh. “We knew that delays or a distributed PA would not be an option, so we had to fire it like an endstage or stadium system to cover such a wide area.”

The audio team contended with Long Island’s uncooperative weather, as the PGA accelerated the opening ceremonies 24 hours because of forecast rain. “We fought wind and some rain for two-and-a-half days”, says Epperson. “Paul, Scott Diamond (System Tech and FOH for closing ceremonies), and Jay Yochem (System/RF Tech and A2) have incredible skill sets and the Cohesion system was engineered to work well outdoors.”

Pictured (left to right): Kelly Epperson, Scott Diamond, Paul Cervenansky, Jay Yochem. (Photos: Cohesion)

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